My Good Puck, What Have You Done?
by Haarii-chan
Summary: After the dreaded "Mudblood" incident 5th year, young Severus Snape will find out that not everything is as it seems and his destiny is greater than he ever imagined. NOT SS/LE pairing!
1. Chapter 1

Haarii-chan: Hey everyone. So, I've had this idea for the longest time and have finally decided to write it down. First, this is completely AU- deal with it.

Severus: Of course it is, you twit. You did not write the Harry Potter series, so it would stand to reason that this story takes place in an Alternate Universe.

Haarii-chan: . . . O.o . . . IT'S SEVERUS SNAPE! HOLY FLIPPING COW, MY LIFE IS ALMOST OFFICIALLY COMPLETE! *glomps :3*

Severus: *eye twitch and stands stiffly*

Haarii-chan: *snuggles* Everyone, it's one if the most amazingly complex characters! *looks up with HUGE Kitsune kit eyes* Please marry me!

Severus: *eye twitches again* Why?

Allen-kun, Minato-kun, Goku-kun, Haji-kun: Just accept it, mate. She won't stop until you do.

Goku-kun: Besides, she likes to cook!

Allen-kun: As well as read, write, and she is decently smart.

Minato-kun: She has a major tendency to be sarcastic and has had a fascination with all things magical since she could actually imagine things.

Haji-kun: Not to mention she loves potions and slightly darker characters.

Haarii-chan: I don't mind if you are a snarky bastard. You can come and go as you please, but I do not tolerate infidelity, so cheating will be punished quite severely. And last but not least, . . . I'm a natural red head.

Severus: *blinks . . . and blinks . . . and blinks some more*

Haarii-chan: Quick, do the ceremony while he's still slightly stunned!

. . . . . . . . . . . fifteen minutes later . . . . . . . . . . .

Haarii-chan: Haha! Another added to the harem. *snuggles into all* Enjoy the story!

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES.**_

It's amazing how a few small deviations from the original design of the universe can completely change the perception of the life that we all recognize as 'what was meant to happen.' For instance, say that someone received a rare and volatile magical inheritance this time around, a small change which will lead to several other choices being made and eventually lead to a completely different outlook on life. Such was the case of one Severus Snape.

Originally, while in his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when Severus was levitated and humiliated by Sirius Black and James Potter and had called Lily Evans a Mudblood, Severus was eventually dropped on his back after the torment had ended. However this time, due to his rage at the floating boy, James Potter lost his concentration on his levitating charm and dropped Snape on his face with a sickening THUD, causing potentially life-threatening damage to the Slytherin.

Now, James and his friends were cruel to the aforementioned boy, but even they wouldn't go so far as murder . . . or in the case of one Sirius Black, yet anyway. So, seeing the damaged his two friends had caused, Remus Lupin immediately grabbed and rushed the injured young man to the infirmary in an attempt to save his life, oblivious to the group of students tailing behind him and the crying Lily Evans who had momentarily forgotten how much the comment had hurt her for fear of losing her best friend.

Upon entering the Hospital Wing, the cluster of students was sent away while Severus was placed on a bed where the Med-witch could properly diagnose the damage and attempt to heal the injured teen. She shut the curtains tightly behind her and set to repairing the teen's face, starting with the damaged bones. After the initial spell work to move the teen from critical condition to stable, she checked for other major damage that needed immediate attention. Finding none, she began to reconfigure the framework of Severus' face. She allowed her magic to flow into her patient, thus allowing his facial structures to retake their original forms. However, the face that was being constructed beneath her eyes was not the one that she had come to recognize as the damaged Slytherin's. Coming to the conclusion that perhaps all was not as it seemed, the Med-witch continued and decided that she would later swear that she could not completely remember the exact look of one Severus Snape, so she improvised. Besides, she figured that this blossoming, more attractive appearance would help him much more than just setting him back to the way he was before.

The lad kept his high cheekbones and elegant eyebrows, but his nose straightened and shortened so that it was still a little longer than normal and the tip only had the slightest of downwards turns, but overall, it still seemed aristocratic and fit his face. His lips then filled out to what the latest issue of WitchWeekly would call '_kissable'_ levels and, after checking his mouth, saw that his teeth had straightened and whitened. Remembering the sallow look of his skin, mostly due to his avoidance of the outside thanks to a certain group of Gryffindor boys, she noticed that it was deepening so that the teen appeared to have golden-olive tone and making the patient seem sun-kissed Italian. His hair follicles were quickly reconfigured so that they would not become greasy unless it went without washing for several days, and flowed in wispy waves down to a few inches past his shoulders.

Nodding in satisfaction once the changes had ceased, she then ran a diagnostic spell to show her of any internal problems that she had missed that needed solving. Angered by the, surprisingly, stunted growth of her patient, she spelled a couple blood replenishing, nutrition, and growth potions into his stomach, brightening when she saw a health flush in the teen's appearance. She then summoned a vial of a common sleeping potion and placed it on the bedside table.

Happy that her work was over for the moment, she transfigured Snape's robes into a pair of hospital pajamas and reopened the curtains briefly to allow her to escape, but not allowing any wandering eyes to see her recovering patient. Looking up, she was not surprised to find the Headmaster walking to her quickly.

"How's the boy?" Albus Dumbledore asked with worry lacing his voice and the twinkle in his eye missing. The Med-witch simply turned on her heel and brought the aged Headmaster to her patient's bedside and pulled back the curtain. The old man couldn't contain his gasp as his gaze fell upon the new Severus Snape. Eyes twinkling, he laughed as he noticed the sheepish look that the witch by his side had put onto her face.

"I couldn't remember the boy's appearance completely, so I improvised. I have to admit, I think this will be a much better arrangement in the long run, don't you Headmaster?" she lied and then questioned.

"Indeed my dear, indeed," Albus laughed. "When will he awaken?" he asked with barely noticeable worry, trusting in the abilities of the woman. Said witch contemplated before saying,

"Mr. Snape should awaken in a few hours and I shall do some routine tests then, but he won't be completely alert until tomorrow. He can receive visitors at the normal hours after he is awake and I have run more tests that morning."

"Anything else I need be made aware of Madam?" the aged wizard asked as he began contemplating a proper punishment for the Marauder's as they were wont to be called. If the situation were perhaps less serious, he would have simply taken points, but because they cause the almost death of a classmate, Dumbledore knew that more appropriate punishment was needed. A simple detention was nowhere near severe enough to catch the boy's collective attention.

"Yes, actually," the Med-witch stated, making sure to wait until she had the older man's complete attention. "Albus, my patient has been a victim of abuse—" she started before the headmaster chuckled lightly.

"My dear, I would hardly call these schoolyard fights _abuse_—" he began before being interrupted by the irate Med-witch.

"Albus, I'm not talking about his Hogwarts clinic visits, although he is in here _far_ too often for my liking. I'm referring to the fact that his height was initially stunted, he has barely any permanent muscle mass, he's had several broken bones that have been healed incorrectly by his own magic and those findings are only from the preliminary scan. Headmaster, I cannot, in good conscious, allow this boy to return to wherever he is going over the summer. It was almost too late to fix the damage. I don't care how you do it Albus, but Mr. Snape will not be going back!" the Med-witch finished with an irritated and worried huff.

Dumbledore stared at her in shock, the twinkle still missing from his eyes. He hadn't realized how badly things were at Severus' house; the boy never spoke of it to anyone, not even his best friend Lily Evans. He closed his eyes in shame, feelings of failure washing through him as he tried thinking of a simple solution. However, that would have to wait till later and the old man opened his eyes to gaze fondly at the damaged boy in the hospital bed.

"Very well, I'll see what I can do, but you must realize, Madam, that this will have to wait until Mr. Snape has fully recovered. Until then, I shall take my leave. I leave him in your capable hands," Albus said, spinning on his heal and walking out of the hospital wing, the Med-witch watching him go.

"Well Mr. Snape," she started, peering at the unconscious teen, "You're in for a rough couple of days. Growth potions are hard on the system, then the physical therapy to build up muscle mass . . . I doubt anyone will be envying you for a good while," she trailed off with a shake of her head and closed the curtains tightly behind her.

Severus Snape was in pain. Not of the physical variety, mind you, since the potions spelled into his stomach took care of any physical discomfort; he was in emotional agony. He had called his best friend, practically his sister, a horrible name, no an _unforgivable_ name. How could he have let his temper get a hold of him like that? He _knew_ better; he _knew_ that he shouldn't have even _thought_ about saying something like that. But he _had_ said that horrible word and he knew, without a doubt, the Lily- his sister- would never forgive him and that simple fact hurt more than anything Potter and his friends could ever do. And yet . . . and yet, he couldn't fathom why he had even considered using such a word when he had never directed the name towards Lily, or, actually, really anyone, before. He knew that his housemates believed all the pureblood mumbo jumbo but, personally, he couldn't force himself to bow to another person. He hated being submissive.

'Is it too much to hope that I will not survive this,' he thought as he floated in his potion-induced sleep. 'It's not like I'll have anything else to live for . . .' he continued, morbid ideas and reasons that his existence shouldn't continue encompassing his mind. Slowly, he returned to consciousness and gingerly opened his to see the bright white walls of the Infirmary. He groaned softly, despairing in the fact that he had survived the encounter with Potter and his goons. Personally, he had hoped that Potter had killed him after the dreadful name had left his lips. Death by Potter's hand would definitely be better than facing a heartbroken Lily Evans. A second later, Severus felt a weight on his chest. He looked down to see the large, bright eyes of a house elf. Confused as to why this creature would show itself to him, Snape raised an eyebrow to the tiny thing, prompting it to burst into tears and start babbling in its squeaky voice.

"Young Master is alright now! Oh, Sparkles was being so worried that Young Master would not be getting better, but Sparkles is so happy that she is being wrong!"

The exuberant elf continued to spew forth it's proclamations of joy at Snape's health, thoroughly confusing the teen. He attempted to raise a hand to pat the elf on the head but found he could not move them farther than a few centimeters. Curious, he glanced down at his arms and saw that they were being tied down with leather straps. Anxious now, he tried to pull at the straps, but found that they were too strong to break. His slow building panic picked up the pace as he realized that his legs and feet were in the same position as his arms and hands. Absently, he thought that perhaps the Med-witch needed to hold him down to heal him, but he quickly discarded the idea when he remembered that even with all the broken bones he has had while attending Hogwarts, the Med-witch had never needed to tie him down before.

Severus opened his mouth to gain the attention of the elf, but almost choked when he realized that no sound was coming out. He started to try harder and harder to get his vocal chords to work, but each attempt was a failure. Clearly panicking now, the teen started to hyperventilate. Luckily before he could start to damage himself, Sparkles noticed the teen's plight and quickly forced open his airway, magically controlling his breathing until he had calmed down enough to breathe on his own.

"Young Master should be calm. Everyone knows that a Fae must give up his voice for a few years while reaching maturity. Young Master knew this would happen one day. Sparkles is being sorry, but she is needed to tied down the Young Master so that Young Master would not hurts himself when he is starting transformation."

'Fae? What does a fae have to do with me? Better yet, what's this bloody elf's problem, tying me down? AND HOW THE BLOODY HELL AM I SUPPOSE TO DO MAGIC WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO BLOODY TALK? HOW BLOODY FLIPPING HELL WILL I APPOLOGIZE TO LILY?' Severus screamed in his head, continuing to thrash as best he could, trying to remove the bindings that held him tightly. However, the house elf didn't seem to think this was a good idea, so she cast a full body bind on the teen. As Severus went ridged, his eyes widened even more, making him look younger than his sixteen years.

"Young Master must stop this! Young Master cannot stop the change from being happening! One way or other, Young Master's blood and body change and magic grows bigger, but it cannot be stopping once it be starting. And it is already starting. Sparkles is sorry because she knows how much this will hurt the Young Master but she must fulfill her duty. Now," she said, hand firmly on her petite hips and eyes hard, "we do this easy way, or we do this hard way?

Severus could only blink a couple of times before his eyes were rolling back in his head as he fainted. The elf sighed before standing on the teen's chest and focusing on her task. The elf then banished Snape's pajama top, and, holding both her hands out, a small orb of gold magic appeared in her right hand and a similar orb of silver magic appeared in her left. Kneeling again, she gently pushed the orbs, one at a time, into the middle of his chest where the magical core was located causing a slight pulsation, a hiccup if you will, in the lad's magic. When the orbs didn't resurface, the elf summoned the top and replaced it, removing the leather ties and popping out of the Infirmary with no one the wiser.

That evening, the Med-witch awoke to the distress alarm that she placed on Severus Snape's bed. Throwing a dressing robe over her nightwear, she ran with her wand raised to the only occupied bed. Casting an extra bright _Lumos Maximos_ charm, she watched in shocked silence as her patient writhed on his side in obvious agony, his knees tucked to his chest, hands gripping the sides of his head and eyes glazed over, mouth open in a silent scream. Only when his back arched sharply off the back with a loud crack did she finally snap out of her trance and firmly grasped the boy's hands and wretched them away from his head. What she saw nearly sent her into the shocked trance again.

On either side of the teen's head, sharply pointed ears were rapidly growing, finally stopping about two inches from the crown of his head. His mouth abruptly shut and opened again and the teen fell back, gasping in the bed, two sets of sharp upper canines glittering with fresh blood in the light and raven black hair fanning under his shoulders onto the bed spread, now reaching the middle of his back and curling loosely in angelic ringlets. His eyes had squeezed shut and his body was trembling, hands clinching the sheets tightly in an attempt to siphon the pain into the bed beneath him.

Casting a diagnostic charm, the Med-witch noticed her patient had grown five inches, now reaching a height of 185 cm (approx 6 ft 1 in) and added about fifteen pounds of muscle, now weighing about 61 kg (approx. 135 lbs). Curious, the witch opened an eyelid and was startled to see the formerly pure black iris had silver blobs floating in it. She quickly checked the other eye and noticed that it was the same, but with gold blobs. She was about to perform a magic test when Severus began to glow softly with the brightest point above his heart.

Confused, the woman banished her patient's shirt (that poor shirt!). Soft golden lines curled and twisted into the teen's torso, moving to wrap around each lightly muscled arm and down to his wrists, pulsing lightly all the way. Strangely though, the marks didn't claim the skin over his heart, leaving a distinct circular mark. They also didn't move to snake up his neck, only to form a shining ring of Celtic knots and curls right underneath Severus' Adam's apple.

By now, Snape was pulsing with magic, the soft glow growing quickly to a blinding flash as a magically caused wind tossed the Med-witch away from her charge. She could only watch as the glow brightened impossibly, and then vanished in an almost silent pop.

The Med-witch was running to the teen's side, intent on finding out what had happened to her patient when she heard a soft snore and watch the boy breathe deeply and shift in his sleep. Calming herself down, the witch watched as the glowing swirls and designs sink below Snape's skin and vanish, leaving only the "collar" and "manacles," each one, one and a half inches wide, around his wrists. The other changes such as the large pointed ears and canines had shrunk to only slightly more prominent than their natural state but the length of and curls in his hair had remained changed.

Casting one last diagnostic test, the woman let out a sigh of relief when she noticed no other bodily changes had occurred. Next, she checked the boy's core and gasped in shock; it had grown a couple sizes larger. The teen had an abnormally large core to begin with, but now, it was definitely larger than any other student's core in his year, almost the size of a graduate's core. Turning a critical eye on her patient, she tried to assess what had just happened.

What was strange was, according to her scans, the teen hadn't gone through his magical majority yet. Rather, it was more like he had gone through a magical growth spurt . . . and from her scans, only one of many sure to come. Also, one must consider the physical growth spurt, hair growth, ears, teeth, and magic outburst. Curious again, she was about to take a blood sample when a random house elf, one that she was sure didn't work in the Infirmary, appeared right on her charge's chest.

Sparkles assessed her charge with a critical eye before sliding off into his lap and waving a hand over the sleeping teen. Said patient, while still unconscious, sat up like a puppet on a string, head slumped loosely to the right and arms slack on the bed with his palms facing the ceiling. She then opened his eyes, nodding when she saw the blobs of silver and gold floating in the obsidian depths. Pushing lightly, she laid the sleeping marionette-like teen back onto the bed and turned her attention to the stunned Med-witch.

"Hello Mistress. Sparkles is apologizing for the lack of proper greeting but she has been tasked with easing Young Master through his time of Changing. See, my Young Master is very special and Sparkles is very proud of her task, but will not be able to watch him all the time, so she will permit some questions in return for keeping Young Master from harming himself. Is a deal?" She ended her speech by sticking out a hand, waiting for the Med-witch to decide whether the good matron would accept or decline her offer. In the background, Sev Snape twitched lightly before settling back into his dreams, for once not haunted by his usual nightmares.

Haarii-chan: Alright, here's chapter one. Chapter two is in the works, so please be patient. And being that I am the author, I will ask that there are no comments on Snape being in love with Lily, actually believing all the pure-blood BS, blah blah blah. This is most definitely an AU so things will go according to how I wish them to. That being said, please Read and Review if that is what you wish.


	2. Chapter 2

Haarii-chan: Alright guys, here's chapter two. I hope you enjoy and please do review!

Severus-kun: Why am I still here, you twit? (glares)

Haarii-chan: (not effected) Oh shush you! You are at least stuck here until this tale is over, BUT you can brew whatever potion you want. Oh, and James Potter and Sirius Black are available for your hexing pleasure.

Severus-kun: (blink blink) May I hex them now? (insert Puppy Eyes of Doom)

Haarii-chan: Kiss first, hex after. (heavy blush)

Severus-kun: (glare) Please?

Haarii-chan: (matches glare) Kiss. First. Hex. AFTER!

Severus-kun: (rolls eyes) Fine. (kisses)

Haarii-chan: (grins) That wasn't so bad was it? Now, off you go!

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES.**_

_Last time:_

"_Hello Mistress. Sparkles is apologizing for the lack of proper greeting but she has been tasked with easing Young Master through his time of Changing. See, my Young Master is very special and Sparkles is very proud of her task, but will not be able to watch him all the time, so she will permit some questions in return for helping in keeping her Young Master from harming himself. Is a deal?" She ended her speech by sticking out a hand, waiting for the Med-witch to decide whether the good matron would accept or decline her offer. In the background, Sev Snape twitched lightly before settling back into his dreams, for once not haunted by his usual nightmares._

The Med-witch stared at the strange House elf that appeared to either be delusional or actually telling the truth, no matter how absolutely strange it might be. However, her curiosity as to what was actually going on with her patient was so strong that she was considering the elf's offer.

"Before I agree or disagree to this accord, tell me what exactly this so called 'time of Changing' is. And why exactly is this happening now? If this were a traditional magical inheritance, young Mr. Snape would have this happen next year, not this year. I need more information Sparkles."

The elf stared into the witch's eyes, checking for sincerity and something that could prove this woman trustworthy. Eventually deciding that she found what she was looking for, Sparkles motioned for the witch to sit, knowing that there was no way for her young master to awaken from her spell anytime soon.

"Okays. Firstly off, Sparkles' Young Master is actually not humans, but is yets to be all creature. His mama is trulys the human, Mistress Eileen Prince. But Young Master's papa is not human named Tobias Snape; his papa is really being my goodly Master, Puck. When Mistress was young girlie, she makes promise to Master Puck, saying, 'When I's all grown up, I marries you and gives you a good son, a son that can unites the courts of the Fae.' But Mistress Eileen forgets about promise and marries nasty human _Snape_," she said with so much venom that the matron was taken aback.

"So, did your master spirit her away?" she asked, curious as to the way the tale was going. However, the elf was not quite as quick to answer this time.

"Wills you now swears to be helping my Young Master through his time of Changing? No more questions until Mistress Matron swears," the elf stated.

The Med-witch thought for a while, considering her options until she finally decided that whatever the elf had to say, she would help her young charge have a better future than whatever the abuse-blind Headmaster could do for him currently. She then agreed and asked her question again.

The elf shook her head negatively, flapping her large ear across her face and the back of her head.

"Nos. My Master deeply sad by her, but he not take her away. He still watches her and loves her, but only at big distance. Instead, he visits in nightly dreams, where he reminds Mistress of her promise. Mistress very sads because she unable to leave human. Master also sads because he not able to takes her away unless she and he be married; but in dreams, Mistress and Master can be lovings each others without problems. Only, Master makes mistake one night and instead of staying in dream, visits when Mistress in flesh when she be awakes. He makes Mistress his bride that night . . ." the elf trailed off with a blush which the matron mirrored.

"So, your master slept with Eileen Prince. So, young Mr. Snape is a bastard—"

"NO!" the elf exclaimed. "My Young Master borns from Fae and human marriage; when Fae decides to marry, theys and partners exchange vow, then consummates. And if marriage be trues, baby be made. Young Master be made after Master and Mistress marry." She finished with conviction.

"Alright, alright, clam down my friend. No harm done, no offence meant. I was just curious. Could it be said that the marriage between Eileen and Tobias Snape was not a true marriage?" the confused witch asked and Sparkles nodded her head emphatically, glad that the witch was finally starting to catch on. "So, young Mr. Snape is half Fae, is that correct?" The matron then asked, trying to get her head around all the information she had just received. However, the elf once again shook her head in the negative.

"It is not being possible to be being half Fae. When baby is borns of human and Fae, baby grows up whole human till sixteen winters, then has time of Changing and becomes whole Fae after its nineteenth winter."

"Why is it not possible to be half Fae?" the matron then asked. The elf gave her a look that said 'Are you off your head?'

"Because," the elf said slowly, "Fae bloods and human bloods not able to share body. Fae bloods has too much magic for human body. Plus Fae bloods is being violent by nature . . ." she trailed off, noticing that the witch still wasn't quite getting it. She sighed before continuing, "Fae bloods not play well with others. It converts all other bloods types into same type- Fae."

"So, to put it in simple terms, Mr. Snape's human blood is being _killed off_?!" the Med-witch asked, her voice steadily rising until the last word was screamed.

"Mistress Matron must be calm!" the elf demanded firmly. The Med-witch breathed deeply and then nodded to the elf to continue. "As Sparkles was trying to explain, Fae bloods too strong for human body and changes other bloods into Fae bloods after nineteen winters of life is being complete. When blood is changing, Fae bloods replaces human bloods, but doesn't kill human bloods. Mistress Matron be knowing that some bloods die every day and new bloods be made?"

The matron nodded; it was common medical knowledge. The body replaces lost blood, but in some cases of extreme blood loss, a blood transfusion or potion like the Blood Replenisher was necessary because the process of making new blood, while not the longest process by far, took longer than some patients had available.

"Fae bloods takes over in body, so body makes Fae bloods instead of human bloods. So Fae bloods not kill human bloods, just replaces what is being lost. But Fae bloods in human's body make human body not stable. Makes human confused, not act normally. During time of Changing, bloods, body, and magic change; bloods becomes Fae first, then magic grows really big, and body finally catches up."

"I see," the witch murmured, absorbing as much information as she could. "But it seems that Mr. Snape here has gone through a drastic change already. Are all of the changes going to be this, how should I say this, _explosive_? I just learned that the boy comes from an abusive home and if what you say is true, not that it isn't," the woman quickly soothed, noticing the small elf opening her mouth to argue, "then how will I be able to keep him safe? I would hate for him to be alone as well as confused as these changes occur."

Sparkles seemed to deflate a little as she turned adoration filled eyes on her Young Master's sleeping form. "Sparkles doesn't be knowings right now, but she is sure that a goodly plan wills be made to keep Young Master safe during Change. And, to puts Mistress at ease, only little changes happen during most of year, but at summer and winter solstice, biggest changes happen. Young Master only now showing a big change because Sparkles be makings first Change happen little bits faster."

'So, he wasn't suppose to have such a drastic transformation,' the Med-witch thought as she followed the elf's eyes to rest on her patient. Having spent many a night in the Hospital Wing, she was familiar with the sleeping Severus Snape, but looking at him now, she noticed something that she had missed earlier and caused her to remember his earlier transformation. She then furrowed her brows in confusion and cocked her head to the side as if in thought.

"Sparkles," she said, not taking her eyes from the pajama clad teen but still grabbing the elf's attention, "I have known Mr. Snape for a while now and have seen him sleep in this Hospital Wing for nearly as long. So tell me, why was it when he was going through that difficult change, did he not scream? And why are his lips moving, but no sound is coming out? Mr. Snape is an incredibly vocal sleep talker."

"Why must Sparkles repeat herself?" the small elf mumbled to herself before saying with just a _tiny_ amount of scorn, "Fae must give up voice until time of Changing is over."

"Why?" was the prompt reply.

"Fae voice very magical, but must go through several changes before mature. So young Fae not able to speak until voice is ready, then they wills be speaking like they never be stopping. Also means that before time of Changing, voice never really changed. Has you not noticed with Young Master?" the elf asked with a raised brow. The witch giggled a bit, seeing young Severus in that expression. She could tell why this elf had been picked to watch over the teen.

"Actually, Mr. Snape doesn't talk much. Outside of pain filled moans and whimpers, he really just speaks very softly, so it's almost impossible to tell what his voice sounds like. But now that you mentioned it, I have noticed that his voice was higher than what is normal for a boy his age. However, with him, I could never really tell."

"Mistress may being surprised when Young Master talks with true voice again," Sparkles said mysteriously. Looking out of the window, she obviously decided that she had stayed long enough and hopped off her perch, kissed Severus on the forehead and turned back to the Med-witch. "Bye byes now. Sparkles must return to Master, but she will return in two weeks time. But should Mistress or Young Master really need her, simply says, 'I beg the Fae to help Kailen' and Sparkles comes quickly."

"Wait! One last question! Who is Kailen?" the witch called as the elf was about to 'pop' away. The small elf just smiled again.

"Young Master's real name be Kailen. Good night Mistress. Take cares of Young Master please." And with that, Sparkles disappeared with a very small 'pop' leaving Severus Snape asleep on his bed and the Med-Witch lost in thought and information overload.

Severus Snape awoke the next morning, completely unaware that anything had happened since he encountered that strange house elf the afternoon before. His own heart ached within his chest at the thought of Lily's broken one, the one that _he_ broke when he had called her that horrible name. A soundless sob escaped from his throat as he wept for the only friend he had, now lost because he couldn't keep his temper under control. He drew his knees to his chest and placed his face in his hands, knuckles white as they gripped his hair and his shoulders shook with the force of his crying. But not a sound escaped his throat, no matter how hard he tried to scream.

Several minutes later, his sobs subsided into hiccups and his tears stopped flowing. Red eyed, he pushed himself off the bed and stumbled into the washroom to clean his face, and then into the loo. Once he finished, he washed his hands numbly and turned back to the door, not even noticing his reflection in the large oval mirror. Severus barely made it back into his bed before he collapsed, exhausted from his earlier crying. He pulled the blanket up to his shoulders and closed his eyes, trying to forget about the world for just a little while longer.

Two hours later, the Med-witch walked over to Severus and began to gently card her fingers through his now softly curled hair. Eventually, sleepy eyes, one black with small glints of gold, the other black with glints of silver, opened and looked at her. She smiled softly and continued to stroke his hair lightly.

"Good morning Mr. Snape," she softly murmured. "It's time to get up. I have to get you well again so that you can return to classes soon. Come on, first some breakfast and then a shower I should think."

The eyes, once sharp with intelligence and wit, were dull and lifeless as they looked up at her. Severus only nodded and sat up, staring into his lap blankly. The Med-witch sighed before she placed gentle fingers under the raven's chin and lifted his head so that he was looking at her.

"I know that you are upset Severus, and I know that you are confused, but the only way I can help you is if you let me. Don't shut me out Severus. Let me help you."

Severus only continued to look at her as tears welled up in his dull, now quickly becoming pain filled, eyes. His shoulders started to shake again as he mouthed,

"Please. Let me die. Please."

The Med-witch was stunned but her shock quickly turned to anger.

"Mr. Snape!" she said sharply, only to stop when she saw him flinch, "I'm not going to harm you child," she continued much softer. "But a rare magical Inheritance is no reason to want to die, my boy. You'll see. All will be better once—" she stopped shortly, noticing his highly confused stare.

"Magical Inheritance?" he mouthed, forgotten tears falling down his face. "I don't— I'm not—" he cut off, frustrated at his lack of a voice. The witch looked sympathetically before drawing her wand.

"Mr. Snape, I'm going to cast a charm so that the words your mouth makes can be heard. It's a little known charm that Med-witches and wizards use when a patient has damaged or lost their voice. _Permissum Os Audimini_," she spoke, waving her birch wand lightly over his head. When the boy didn't make a move to speak again, she gently said, "Try now dear."

Severus then opened his mouth again and this time, while his voice wasn't heard, a voice not unlike his usual whispered words said,

"Thank you Madam."

The Med-witch nodded in welcome before motioning the boy to continue.

"I-I am not ashamed of some magical Inheritance, Madam. I-I-I broke Lily Evans heart yesterday, but I don't know why I did it! I just, I just could not _stop_ my temper from attacking the nearest person to me. I-My heart feels like it has been ripped out and destroyed, but the person who did it shoved the useless thing back in my chest to keep me alive. She, my sister, my Lily, she will never forgive me!" He finished with a sob.

The Med-witch could only hug the crying teen close to her and rub his back as he clenched her robes tightly. She then began to stroke his hair again and rock him softly until he cried himself out and only his shoulders bouncing showed his hiccups.

"There, there dear. All will be better soon. I know you are upset, frustrated, confused, and so many other things that you don't understand, but know this," she soothed, pulling his chin up so that the now mismatched eyes looked into hers, "I will be here to help you. Just give it some time." She finished with a smile and lightly kissed his forehead, chuckling at his shy blush. "Now, breakfast, a shower, and then we'll go to work."

At the clap of her hands, a breakfast of porridge, sliced fruit, toast with marmalade, and some lean cuts of bacon appeared with a glass of milk and orange juice on a tray. Severus rubbed his eyes with his sleeve and thanked the witch again softly before tucking into his meal. After the first bites of his meal, he realized just how hungry he was and dug into the food with relish; soon, the plate was empty and the glasses drained. As he set the cutlery on the tray, it disappeared and he scooted off the bed towards the washroom to shower.

There, he unbuttoned the pajama top and gazed in wonder at the lightly muscled, tanned skin— without the terrible scarring inflicted by Tobias—that was not there the previous morning was revealed. Shocked, he looked at the mirror, expecting to see what he had become accustomed to seeing for years: an ugly, scrawny, ghostly pale teen with pure black eyes— just like Merlin his mother had told him— the only major give away that the boy held great magic. Instead, a stranger with black eyes flecked with either silver or gold was staring back at him. This stranger had long, lightly curled raven hair with blue highlights that went to the middle of his back, completely tanned skin, an aristocratic nose, full lips, high cheek bones, and elegant eyebrows. Startled by this strange appearance, Severus touched his face, watching as the teen in the mirror did the same. He also caught sight of the slightly pointed ears and the golden collar that seemed to be tattooed to his throat and, looking down, his wrists as well. Still shunned, Severus removed the rest of his clothing, amazed by the new state of his body. Perhaps this is what the Med-witch meant by rare Inheritance.

After deciding he would ask the witch, he showered, with the only physical pains in his joints bothering him. Unaccustomed to having to wash such long hair, Severus was baffled by the bottles of shampoo and conditioner that appeared along with the soap. Figuring that it couldn't hurt, he decided to wash his hair with both products, but after having rinsed out the shampoo and noticing the blood from his little 'accident' the other day, he chose to scrub his head down again before adding conditioner to the mix. Finally deciding he was finished, the teen left the shower, a warm, fluffy towel around his waist and a second being used to soak up the excess water from his hair.

"Ah, Mr. Snape! Excellent, I have some clothes for you. Just the pants and trousers if you please," the Matron said, not looking at the teen who was blushing at the woman since he was only in a towel. However, he obeyed swiftly and tapped her shoulder when he was done. Seeing that her patient was decent, she procured a hair tie for the teen and cast a mid drying charm at this still wet hair. He tied it back without complaint, though he had flinched when she flicked her wand at him.

"I guess that you have some questions about your current appearance. Shall I answer these questions as we work, or would you prefer to simply talk?" she asked gently, pushing the teen to sit on the bed.

"Either or both is fine," came the soft reply. She nodded and began casting more charms that would show her the different scans of his different physiological systems and his magical pathways.

"Very well. Shall we start with why you were brought to the Infirmary bloodied and barely breathing then?" she asked as an enchanted quill wrote the findings of her scans on a floating piece of parchment. Severus' eyes gained a pained and faraway look before he replied almost robotically,

"It was after the DADA O.W.L. I was sitting under a tree by the lake, waiting for Lily when Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew walked up. Potter was playing with a snitch he had swiped from the Quidditch set, when Black told him to put it away and entertain him. I guess that's when someone saw me because Potter told Black he had found something to 'entertain him.' They soon started taunting me, so I tried to get to my wand. Unfortunately, they cast _Expelliarmus_ on me.

"After that, things are a bit hazy. I remember saying some sort of foul things and having a _Scourgify_ cast at me and then an _Incarcerous_. Then Lily showed up," he broke off with a sob. "I-I-I don'-don't rem-re-remember m-much, but I-I-I k-know sh-sh-she wa-was de-def-defend-defending me. Th-Then I-I-I wa-was i-i-in-in the air-air, an-and-and P-P-Po-Potter was s-s-saying how-how-how he-he was-s go-going-going t-t-t-to ta-ta-tak-take off-ff m-my tr-trousers. B-But L-Li-Lil-Lily st-still-ll de-fe-nded m-me. Then I-I-I was j-ju-just so-so-so ANGRY th-th-that I-I-I," he sobbed into his hands, unable to even finish his thought, much less his sentences. It just hurt so badly to even think about how much Lily Evans hated him now.

"What happened Severus?" the Med-witch asked kindly. "Oh child, come now. Tell me what happened," she crooned as she rubbed soothing circles on his back.

"I called Lily a Mudblood," he confessed softly, almost inaudibly. At the Med-witch's gasp and flinch, he cried harder, curling himself into a ball. "I don't deserve to live," he cried out, "Please Madam! Let me die! Please kill me, or better yet, let Potter kill me! I can't live with this pain! It hurts so much! Please!" He then spoke in an agony filled whisper, "Please."

"Oh child!" the Med-witch cried, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Oh child," she repeated much softer. "You didn't mean it. I know you didn't mean it. Come now child, there is no reason for you to die. No reason at all. I'm sure Miss Evans will forgive you without a doubt once everything is straightened out. Now come, I need to perform some more tests and I'm sure you would like to know about your Inheritance."

She continued to soothe the pained Slytherin before he had calmed down enough to allow her to continue her tests on his new body. He still felt horrible, but not necessarily suicidal. He then asked her what Inheritance he had gained so early.

The Med-witch smiled and assured him, "So rare and wonderful, I myself have only seen it in one person- you, child. Your Inheritance is called a Fae Inheritance and by the time you are nineteen, you shall become a full-blooded Fae."

"But how did I receive this Inheritance? My mother was a Prince and the blood line would never sully itself with creature blood. And my father is a Muggle," Severus whispered with confusion, though his eyes were considerably harder when he said the words 'sully' and 'father.'

"From what your friend Sparkles the House-elf told me, Tobias Snape is not actually your father. Instead, a Fae by the name of Puck claims that title. Apparently, your mother and this Puck made a pact when she was young that the two would be married and she would give him a son, you. Unfortunately, she married Snape and was unable to fulfill her part of the bargain."

"Then how is Tobias Snape not my father if he married my mother? Am I some Fae's bastard?" Severus asked, confused by the tale the Matron was weaving, but somehow knowing that it was true. Being a bastard wouldn't surprise him too much; his apparent 'father' had been calling him that since he showed his first signs of magic to the man at age five. Severus had actually been doing magic since he was fourteen months old, but his mother had always been nearby to claim responsibility for the strange happenings.

"You know, I asked Sparkles the same thing and from what Sparkles told me, it is not possible to be the bastard of a Fae. Apparently, when a Fae and a mortal decide to have a child, the child can only be created if the two are married— at least in the Fae way, since apparently your mother had married Tobias Snape first, but the marriage was not recognized by the laws of magic as a true and proper marriage. Now, shall I tell you more about this Inheritance process, or would you perhaps like to begin the mandatory physical therapy?" the Matron asked after she wrote down the results of her scans on the chart by his bed and faced the changed teen.

"Will you tell me more about this Inheritance of mine and then I'll do said therapy?" bargained Severus; even though he had been thrown for a major loop, he was still a Slytherin.

"Sneaky Slytherin," the Matron said affectionately with a smirk. "I believe that we can work with that. Now, I admit I don't know much more about your Inheritance, but I do know it is the reason you no longer have a voice. I don't know the specifics, but Sparkles told me that Fae have a very strong and unique magic that is only channeled through their voices. Apparently, when a Fae reaches their coming of age, magic surrounds and paralysis the vocal chords, as you can see by the tattoos on your neck, until the time when the Fae can control the strong magic that their voices contain. It is also the reason your voice never changed, even after you hit puberty."

Severus nodded, absent-mindedly running his fingers over the golden coils inked into his skin. They tingled lightly with each brush of his fingers, but it wasn't unpleasant.

"And my appearance? Is that also part of this Inheritance?" he asked, lightly rubbing his aching wrists. "And why do my bones ache?"

The matron hummed and rubbed a pain relieve salve on his wrists and elbows and then answered with,  
>"When I was healing you after your accident, which you still haven't finished telling me about, this was how you looked. My guess is that your mother or Puck put a Glamour on you to protect you from the Muggle finding out that you were not actually his son. So no, your looks are pure genetics, '100 percent mix of dear Mummy and Daddy'," the witch joke with a very posh accent and her nose in the air, actions that had Severus snickering.<p>

"And your bones aching would have to do with the fact that you had a rather rapid growth spurt last night. Now then, up you get," she announced, pulling the teen to his feet. "First, stretch your arms over your head as if you were trying to touch the ceiling."

Severus complied, knowing that the sooner he did this, the sooner the Med-witch, who he was rather fond of and thought of as an aunt, would release him from her domain. While he was rather terrified of leaving the comfort of the hospital wing and the matron, he knew that he had to apologize to Lily, or they would never be friends again. So he fulfilled the require exercises, feeling physically more comfortable with himself than he ever had. It was like he had been in clothes that were too small and was finally getting closer to wearing ones that fit; still too small, but closer. This thought and realization had him wondering how much more he would grow before he was at his proper size.

They continued these exercises until well after noon before the witch proclaimed him healthy, returned his robes, magically tailor to fit his longer arms and legs, and sent him to Dumbledore's office with the password, 'Licorice Wands,' and a warning not to divulge his heritage to the man if he was in any way uncomfortable with the idea; to let the Headmaster believe what he wanted to about Sev's appearance. Severus rolled his eyes at the candy password and nodded at the instructions to keep his mouth shut, knowing he would not tell anything to the grandfatherly Headmaster who had never taken an interest in Severus before today. However, he did thank the Med-witch again for taking such good care of him, shocking both himself and the matron when he hugged her tightly, and hurried out of the Infirmary with not only a deep blush, but also a small, content smile on his face.

Haarii-chan: Hope you enjoyed this chapter and review if that is what you wish. Bye Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

Haarii-chan: Hey guys! Sorry you had to wait so long for an update. I admit to having lost my notes for this story and was unwilling to continue until I found them again. So  
>here we are at last!<p>

Severus-kun: . . . (glares)

Haarii-chan: What? Are you finished hexing those idiots yet? Out of potion ingredients? (foxy grin) Wanna snuggle?

Severus-kun: (slight twitch) Why am I still here? I have better things to do than sit here and entertain you dunderheads.

Haji-kun: (narrows eyes) She IS the author. She CAN make you disappear. . .

Minato-kun: No matter how much it would hurt her feelings. . .

Allen-kun: She's been nice. Our Haarii-chan can turn nasty just as quick. . .

Goku-kun: (munch munch)

Haarii-chan: Easy boys. It's just his way. I do not ask you to change your personalities, please don't ask him. Severus, you are still here because you WANT to be. I'm not keeping you here, there is no wand pointing to your head. You can go to Starbucks and get a coffee if you want. I have connections so you don't have to pay.

Severus-kun: (blinks) Free coffee you say? (wanders off)

Haarii-chan: (shakes head) Caffeine addict. . . Anyway people, my boys aside, enjoy the next chapter!

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES**_

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><p><em>They continued these exercises until well after noon before the witch proclaimed him healthy, returned his robes, magically tailor to fit his longer arms and legs, and sent him to Dumbledore's office with the password, 'Licorice Wands,' and a warning not to divulge his heritage to the man if he was in any way uncomfortable with the idea; to let the Headmaster believe what he wanted to about Sev's appearance. Severus rolled his eyes at the candy password and nodded at the instructions to keep his mouth shut, knowing he would not tell anything to the grandfatherly Headmaster who had never taken an interest in Severus before today. However, he did thank the Med-witch again for taking such good care of him, shocking both himself and the matron when he hugged her tightly, and hurried out of the Infirmary with not only a deep blush, but also a small, content smile on his face.<em>

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><p>Severus dutifully ignored the stares he was receiving as he made his way to the Headmaster's office. Like the old wizard he was going to visit, none of these students or teachers had paid him any attention besides scorn and disgust before today, so why should he not give them the same treatment? Once he make his way to the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office, his whispered the password and rode up the revolving stairs in silence, suddenly wishing he were back in the Hospital Wing with the Matron, the (now) one person who cared about him in this hell hole of a school. His heart ached again when he thought of his Lily— no wait; she wasn't his anymore, not after what he had done— of Lily Evans, one of the most wonderful girls in the world, she who was more his family than his own parents, and how her compassion no longer extended to him. He longed to cry again, but, realizing that tears got him nowhere, he squared his shoulders and pushed his emotions down, deeper and deeper into the pool of icy black waters that swirled darkly in his core, just as he had done since he was a young child and his father— no, <em>Tobias<em>, would beat him for breathing too loud or doing something freakish, or just being in the way. It struck Severus then, as he was about to knock on the old Headmaster's door, that he didn't have to be ashamed or afraid of Tobias anymore because the man _wasn't his father_! The realization that he had no ties to the bastard warmed Severus better than a warming charm and put a genuine smile on his face. He didn't have to answer to Tobias anymore; the blasted man had no more authority over him that Potter's or Black's parents.

However, his joyous thoughts were put aside as he heard Albus beckon him inside his office, a grand place, if a little cluttered. Over in the corner, beside a grand bookcase stuffed to the gills with magical tomes, a phoenix warbled a bit, drawing Severus' attention like a fly to honey. Not knowing what possessed him, he walked, as if in a trance, to the bird's perch and held out a hand. The phoenix looked at him, liquid black eyes meeting mismatched black, gold, and silver, before the bird gave a beautiful cry and jumped onto the teen's shoulder and nuzzled the startled Fae-to-be on the cheek with his beak.

Severus had never been so shocked in his life. Then, the bird met his eyes again and he heard a voice in his ears, musical and soft, yet powerful and old.

'_Young Hatchling, welcome. What brings you to Albus' office on so beautiful a day, where the sun shines and does not hide his face? A Fae like you should be in the forest with the others, dancing along the faerie rings and giving blessing to the land.'_

All Severus could do was blink a bit at first, before his eyes widened and he choked out

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought because there is NO WAY a phoenix is talking to me."

He turned sharply at the sound of an indulgent chuckle, facing Albus Dumbledore in purple robes with flying silvers stars and a matching hat, blue eyes twinkling in merriment.

"I see you've met Fawkes, young Mr. Snape, though I will say it is a bit disconcerting when he talks to you for the first time."

"I see," was all the Severus could say. Fawkes, having now lost interest in what the wizards were saying, pulled the cord tying Severus' curls back and started grooming the teen. Severus flinched a bit as the phoenix pulled a knot loose, but was too caught up in the strangeness of the situation to do anything other than let the bird have his way. Albus laughed again, before motioning to the boy to take a seat, offering tea and a Sherbet Lemon, as was his custom.

"No, thank you sir," Severus politely declined, having no interest in what was sure to be sugary tea and sticky candy. Fawkes continued to run his beak through the raven curls as the Headmaster and teen talked.

"So, my dear boy, might I ask how you came to be in the Hospital Wing under the care of our good Matron the other day?" Albus asked gently, not really knowing how to deal with the teen in front of him who had changed even more since Albus saw him last. His twinkling blue eyes did not miss the change to Severus' ears, hair, or teeth, nor did his miss the golden swirls about the lad's neck. And it was impossible to miss those mismatched eyes and the magic that would wisp out from Severus' body in fine strands, even though the boy showed no indication of noticing it. Albus, however, chose not to say anything, somehow knowing that it was not something young Mr. Snape wanted to talk about.

Severus' eyes dulled and the room grew colder as he spoke, telling his story; leaving nothing out, and placing the majority of the blame at his door. He spoke of how he raged at the Marauders, how they hexed him for his filthy mouth, how he hexed and injured at least one of them, how Lily came to his defense, and how he called her that despicable name. Then he looked at Dumbledore, and the old man felt his heart ache at the pain in those eyes as Severus whispered that he didn't mean it, that he had never called anyone a Mudblood before and he didn't believe in that Pureblood rubbish, that he deserved any punishment the Headmaster would give, and that he was sorry. Merlin, how Albus' heart hurt when he heard Severus say he was sorry, how he begged for forgiveness even though he said he didn't deserve it.

Albus slowly got up and walked over to the teen that now had Fawkes in his lap, trilling softly, with his curls around his face and his shoulders shaking. Very gently, Albus took the boy's chin in his hand and lifted so that they were eye to eye and then hugged the boy to his chest, rubbing his back as the boy continued to shake.

"It's alright child, you were angry. You didn't mean it. It's alright." Over and over did Albus whisper these words before he felt the boy pull away and he chuckled a bit when Severus hugged Fawkes to his chest. The phoenix sang softly, and the lad calmed quickly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have cried like that—" Severus started, but was silenced with a wrinkled finger on his lips.

"It's alright, my dear boy. Tears are no weakness; in fact, they show great strength and love," Albus whispered before patting the teen on the head and returning to his chair. Severus released Fawkes and the phoenix returned to his shoulder and continued to groom his hair.

"Now," Albus stated, gaining Severus' attention again, "the good Matron found several unsettling past injuries when she was healing you—" Severus interrupted him.

"No offense sir, but why do you care? I mean, ever since my first year when I ask Professor Slughorn if I could stay at Hogwarts over the summer holidays, and every year afterwards, he said that nothing could warrant my staying here, so obviously it doesn't matter what the Matron found, does it? I'll just be sent back," Severus bit out angrily, the temperature in the room rising quickly and the air beginning to smell of ozone. Albus was shocked; especially since Horace never mentioned _anything_ about Mr. Snape not wanting to return over summer holidays. He was relieved when Fawkes trilled again and Severus' anger dissipated, returning the atmosphere of his office to normal.

"Severus, my boy, I promise, I had no idea that you had told Horace anything, much less that you did not wish to return to your home. However, I know now, and I can arrange for you to perhaps stay with a housemate," Albus offered lightly, trying not to upset the young man. Severus only shook his head angrily.

"I have no friends in Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor sir. The ravens and badgers find my company less than stellar and are naturally wary of someone who is constantly pranked by the Golden Boys of Gryffindor. The rest of the lions decided that I am a Death Eater in training the moment I was sorted and the Slytherins believe that I am less than worthy due to the fact that I am a half-blood from a disgraced Pureblood line. I just insulted the only friend I had, so you will forgive me if I cannot find anywhere else to go," the teen snarled out.

"Alright, my boy, alright. Perhaps you could stay with a professor if they agree?" Albus asked, shocked at the venom with which the lad spoke with, especially when he spoke about himself. His normally twinkling blue eyes were dull and overflowing with sympathy. Severus saw this and sneered out,

"Don't give me any of your pity or bloody sympathy, Headmaster. I know where I'd find _sympathy_; it's in the dictionary between shit and syphilis." (Props to Danny Bhoy for the last quote.)

"Please don't mistake me, my boy. I offer no pity, but I cannot retract my sympathy. If I had paid more attention, this might not have ever happened. For that, I am very sorry," Albus soothed, his eyes sad. "Now, if you could choose a professor to stay with, who would you pick?"

Severus sat, weighing his options, the pros and cons of each professor. Slughorn and Sprout were automatically out, having never professed any concern of him before. Flitwick was also out, as Severus knew that although the elder wizard like Severus well enough, it was from a purely academic interest. Severus knew he was excellent at charms and dueling, not to be arrogant or anything, it's just the way things were. The DADA teacher was also out, being that he was a creepy bugger that seemed to enjoy having the students hex the snot out of each other and then assign a detention to the winner and take house points from the loser. Needless to say, Severus earned himself many a detention.

McGonagall was a thought, but then again, the strict Scottish witch never expressed her like or dislike for him. He was just another Slytherin in her class that was fairly good at her subject. But the bloody Golden Boys were her favorite . . . never mind McGonagall.

Maybe the Matron if she would, but then again, he didn't want to be a burden. Hagrid though, he could live with Hagrid. He could cook for the man and be at the school without being IN the school. He was out of the way and Hagrid knew he could and would work. Several of those DADA detentions were spent with the half giant, weeding, hauling lumber, going into the Forbidden Forest for Slughorn's potion ingredients, and a whole list of other things. Yes, Hagrid would be the best option.

"Could I perhaps stay with Hagrid? I'll cook and do chores and anything else he might need. We get along well and he doesn't have to look after me all the time. I am old enough to take care of myself," Severus presented, hoping that the Headmaster and the Game Keeper would agree. Albus looked as if he were weighing the options of letting the teen stay with Hagrid, but the Slytherin did present several valuable points.

"I have no problems with your idea. Let me ask our dear Hagrid and if he agrees, then that is that we shall do."

"Thank you Headmaster. If that is all, perhaps I could hear my punishment?" Severus asked coolly. Albus was shocked at the request for punishment, but then the look disappeared behind an uncharacteristically stern mask.

"Of course Mr. Snape. For your punishment, you will apologize to Miss Evans at the earliest possible moment. You will also return to our Matron to see if she requires any other checkup. Afterwards, you are to get a good night's rest and be ready for classes in the morning. Is that understood, Mr. Snape?" Dumbledore asked, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the stunned face of his student. Honestly, did the boy really believe that he received further punishment after he lost his dearest friend and spent the last night in the Infirmary for being injured? Sadly, Albus realized that with the youngster's track record so far, of course the boy was expecting some retribution. "Now, off you go, my boy," he said with a shooing motion.

Severus stood and thanked the Headmaster one more time before turning to the door, expecting the phoenix to return to his perch near the bookcase. However, Fawkes trilled softly and remained on his shoulder.

"Headmaster, would you?" he asked, gesturing to the bird on his shoulder that had tightened its' grip from the possibility of having to move. The older man just laughed and motioned to Severus to continue on his way.

"Fawkes obviously wants to stay with you for a bit, so why not take him with you? He comes and goes as he pleases anyway."

Severus just blinked at the phoenix at first, but then nodded in understanding and appreciation. Perhaps he wouldn't have to face Lily along after all. With that thought in mind, he left the Headmaster's office and set out to the Gryffindor dorms to wait for Lily to return from dinner.

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><p>As he waited, he pulled Fawkes into his lap and caressed the bird, ruffling his feathers lightly and marveling at the warmth of the creature. He dreamed of finding his own phoenix one day; a constant companion that would choose him because it found something worthwhile in him, Severus, not just in what he could do for it. That would be bliss.<p>

Almost an hour later, as he was starting to stiffen on the stone floor, did he hear the sounds of footsteps and voices coming up the stairway. Severus quickly got to his feet and Fawkes jumped from his perch on Sev's forearm to his shoulder as they waited for the Gryffindor troop to appear.

Some nameless first years clambered up in front of the rest, racing to the portrait of the Fat Lady, only to stop short upon seeing the strange young man in Slytherin robes with a phoenix upon his shoulder. Most could not meet his mismatched gaze for various reasons, chiefly being that it was simply alarming and unsettling, and shuffled past, whispering to each other about this Slytherin which none had seen before today. Likewise, the rest of the second, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh years entered the common area of their house, pondering and sneering at the snake so close to their home, but not moving to attack for some unknown reason.

However, the fifth years were at the end of the precession, Alice and Mary comforting a distraught Lily Evans between them, and unusually grim Marauders following, pale and silent for once.

Severus froze for a moment as Remus sudden shifted his eyes from the floor to Sev's, his nostrils flaring slightly. But then Remus only cocked his head and grabbed Sirius and James to pull them in past the portrait, forcing Peter to scamper in behind.

Mary and Alice had stopped as Lily finally broke into tears when the portrait shut behind Pettigrew. Apparently none of the girls had seen Severus yet, or were simply ignoring him in favor of hugging Lily. Severus' heart broke again and he couldn't stop himself from moving forward, lightly pushing a stunned Mary and Alice out of the way and enveloping his favorite redhead in his arms.

"Shh, shh, calm down," he whispered in her ear, knowing that when Lily was upset, it took several minutes of soothing words, hugs, and rubbed circles on her back before she would stop crying and sniffle into the nearest chest, relaxing to a steady heartbeat. "I've got you, Little Flame, I've got you," he murmured, rocking slightly on his heels.

Mary and Alice watched in awe as the unknown Slytherin boy managed to calm their friend who had come to them sobbing the day before about Severus Snape dying and hadn't stopped since. Neither heard what the boy was saying, but figured that he had a magic touch (no pun intended . . . actually, yes it was) when it came to soothing particularly weepy redheads. The two looked at each other and moved back, making sure to keep the two in sight least Lily actually be in trouble and need their help.

Lily, however, began to relax, slowly but surely, in Severus' arms, feeling as if her old friend were comforting her rather than lying in the Infirmary fighting for his life like she knew he was. She had not managed to get up the muster to go and visit yet, knowing that she couldn't handle seeing him so broken, so still. Even though he had called her that awful name, she decided that nearly dying was a terrible price to pay and if he asked her for forgiveness and swore to never utter the word again, she would forgive him.

"Little Flame, come on now. That's enough of those tears," Severus whispered and hugging her tightly. He felt Lily suddenly stiffen in his arms and push away.

"Se-Sev?"

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><p><span>Haarii-chan:<span> Aaaaaannnnnndddddd CUT! Okay, that's enough for now. Tune in next time for another exciting episode of My Dear Puck! Read and Review if that is what you wish. I'm going to bed.


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